Is Dorsett catching on with the Patriots?

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

Sunday

Aug 26, 2018 at 6:48 PM

The play of wide receiver Phillip Dorsett was one of the few positive developments in Friday night’s 25-14 preseason loss at Carolina. Acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts last Sept. 2, Dorsett found himself in a catch-up situation in New England from which he never recovered in 2017, but against the Panthers he showed signs that he's making strides

FOXBORO – The clock is ticking.

The calendar will soon be turning.

“We’ve got two weeks to figure out who’s going to be out there doing it,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said following Friday night’s 25-14 preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., “and try to go out and do better each time.”

Circumstances being what they are at the wide receiver position in New England, in this, his second year with the Patriots, Phillip Dorsett will be asked to do plenty come the team’s regular-season opener with the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 9.

The need for Dorsett was compounded even further on Sunday when Eric Decker, who was added to the wide receiver corps earlier this month, took to Instagram to announce his retirement.

And in what was one of the few positive developments on Friday night, Dorsett showed signs of improvement, catching all four passes Brady threw his way in the first half, one for a 6-yard gain that converted a fourth-and-three that may have shown the level of confidence the quarterback is gaining in him.

Granted, four catches for 36 yards in one half of play does not a season make, but where the tandem of Brady and Dorsett is concerned this was an all-time high in terms of connections: Dorsett's best a year ago was a couple of three-reception games.

“Phil did a good job,” Brady said late Friday night. “He made some good plays. He’s done a good job through the spring and through training camp. He’s been dependable. He’s been out there. It’s been great to watch. We got him late last year and I think he’s been banging it out, trying to find a role, and he’s done a great job with his opportunities.”

Acquired last Sept. 2, five days before the Patriots kicked off the regular season in the trade that sent quarterback Jacoby Brissett to Indianapolis, Dorsett found himself in a catch-up situation from which he was never truly able to recover.

In his third NFL season, the 5-foot-10, 192-pound speedster made a career-low 12 receptions for 194 yards and didn't see the end zone in 15 regular-season games with the Patriots and had two catches for 50 yards in two postseason games, that despite seeing extended playing time in their 41-33 Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia after Brandin Cooks was sent to the sidelines in the second quarter after absorbing a hard hit from Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins.

Put in the simplest of terms, although at times the pair appeared to be just one step away from teaming up on a big play, Brady and Dorsett never did fully connect last year.

“The timing in the passing game between the quarterback and all the receivers, tight ends and running backs is obviously critical,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick noted Saturday. “Sometimes just one split second makes the difference between a completion or a big play and a bad play. It’s something that they all work on.”

One year later, Belichick believes Dorsett has made positive strides.

“Phil again has had an opportunity to start at the beginning this year, the offseason program, OTAs (organized team activities), the beginning of training camp,” the coach said. “It’s a lot different than at this time last year when he wasn’t even on our team a year ago today at this point. He’s way ahead of that and we still have a long way to go, a lot of work to do, but he works hard at it. He’s a smart guy that can play multiple positions and he’s been out there every day working hard.”

Selected by the Colts in the first round (29th overall) of the 2015 draft, Dorsett’s production in his second season increased from the 18 receptions for 225 yards and one touchdown he made as a rookie to 33 catches for 528 yards and two TDs.

Still, he was considered a disappointment in Indy.

The situation at the Patriots’ wide receiver position being what it is – No. 1 wide receiver Julian Edelman must sit out the first four games of the regular season for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing substances and beyond Cordarrelle Patterson no one else has shown any signs of stepping up to this point in time – the team will lean heavily on the likes of Chris Hogan and Dorsett in September.

One of the most impressive players early in training camp, Dorsett’s play seemed to tail off as this month wore on and the success he’d enjoyed in practice didn't carry over to the start of the preseason as he caught just one pass for 4 yards in five targets over the Patriots’ first two games this summer.

Dorsett stepped up against the Panthers, however.

For his part, Dorsett appears to realize the demands of the task at hand.

“As a football player, you’ve got to be really detail-oriented. Especially playing here … because if you’re not on track with the details, you’re not really going to be able to play. Especially in this offense,” said Dorsett. “You’ve got to be in a certain spot at a certain time, (run) a certain route in a certain way, and you can’t really do your own thing. As a player, you’ve got to listen and write everything down, because if you miss something, you might mess up on the field.”

Dorsett’s personal preparation includes a tennis ball and a wall.

“I just throw (the ball) against the wall and track it over my shoulder, keeping my eyes on it the whole time,” said Dorsett. “That helps with hand-eye coordination. You catch it with two hands and sometimes with one.”

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